I'd like to pretend that I love Gordon College, but the fact of the matter is that it has grown into a dangerous area for thuglike and senseless people. I do not feel safe around such inconsiderate and loud people who are only there to blow their refund card on weed and bling. To justify what I mean, there have been a good many instances from this degraded town. 1)Shootings 2)Excessive Altercations 3)Drugs 4) Inhabitable study environment on-campus 5) Lackadaisical individuals that can't pick up their own trash. Any thoughts?

They need to add in that last paragraph that they accept all thugs and they have contributed to a spike on criminal activity in barnesville. There are little requirements to be enrolled at this campus.

Seems they will let anyone go to Gordon. Are they hurting for money that bad?

Gordon is getting a reputation as a hoodlum school. If it don't change it's going to be an all black collage really hurting for money!! They need to take it back from the thugs!! If they don't my kids won't go there!!

the boy that got stabbed was & still is a wanna-b ""GANGSTER""... got stabbed & now is a informant..lol..when will you young adults learn... it's a movie ""NOT REAL LIFE"" if you want to potray an image.. then don't waste the good peoples time or resources.. when your imagies become REALITY..take everything that comes with the ""GANSTA LIFE STYLE YOU'VE ""CHOSEN"" TO POTRAY""...YOURS TRULY A TRUE GANGSTER...

If they ended the entitlement programs that the government so readily hands out to minorities and low income and up the grade scores in order to get into Gordon, we wouldn't be having these problems. I wonder how many actually graduate that are given these handouts. When I attended college in the 70's, my grade average had to be very high and I worked 3 parttime jobs, plus had to study. I had no handouts and I was a better person because of it. I had no time to party. I paid my own way and hit the books and I made it. Hard work never hurt anyone. When everything is given on a silver platter, most of the time it is not appreciated. If you earn things by the sweat of your brow it is a different story.

I am on one of those so-called "entitlement programs" as a child of a widow with lower than average income. It pays my tuition, and I work full time to support myself. It is true that there are many who just fart around and don't care. Please do not over generalize and assume that everybody getting money is a thug or lazy. I study hard, work hard, and run a household. I appreciate everything because if it wasn't for the help now, I wouldn't be where I am and would need further assistance in the future.

My mother was also widowed in my 12th year of highschool. She had always been a housewife. The church helped us with food and my relatives helped with utility bills. My mother got a job working at a dental office. She did get a check from social security for me and my sister for alittle over 150.00 a month. In fact, my mother is in her 70's and still works. We never took any welfare or anything else. So don't be talking to me about hard times. To me an excuse is a copout. I have been raised to take pride in not turning to the government to take care of my needs. It is not their place to do that. I am sure there are worse cases out there than mine and yours put together and they made it without government handouts. I still stand by what I posted in 7#.

As a Gordon student, it's so annoying to see the ones who are wasting time and money to go there that dont really want to be there. They are just taking up space that others could use (the ones that really want to learn and be in school to get a better life for themselves). Hopefully there will be some changes coming for the school since they now will require the SAT and ACT to get in. the school is a beautiful school and great instructors, but it definitely needs some changes.
Comment #6- i think you are right they should add that :-)

I am currently a Gordon College Student. I received that silver platter you were talking about because my family could not afford for me to attend college. It is not right for you to assume that people spend their refund on weed and bling. Some people spend their money to help their family, have you thought about that?! People come to college for different reasons, some come to meet new people, some come for a second chance, and some come to learn. Reguardless of the reasons why they come it is not up for all of you to judge! You never know what people go through. As far as being an all black college, is that so bad? College is college, anyone has the right to attend. No one is forcing them to attend. It's all of what you make of your experiences. You can not let one bad apple ruin the bunch!!!!!!!!!!!!

In addition to the SAT & ACT, Gordon needs to add another verification and that is the CBC (Criminal Backgroud Check), it might take out some of the more dangerous individuals. It's unfortunate that I feel it necessary to lock my vehicle doors when I drive through the area on College street.

Important resource? In what way? I hear that phrase a lot, along with claims of business patronage...but as a citizen, I see Gordon kids in FRONT of businesses, blocking doors. I see them block College Drive. I see them in ambulances. I don't see them volunteering. I don't see them doing much. When I went to college, a walk across campus included seeing students studying, practicing a sport or an instrument. When I walk across Gordon, I don't see much of that. Are those who study afraid to be outdoors?

I'm sorry, what? You do know that hope requirements are strict and getting stricter right? It's the HOPE students that make the school a good one and for the most part the ones that are causing problems don't get HOPE. Of course there are exceptions to that but to say that HOPE is what is causing is absolutely moronic.

It is a sad time for me that Gordon has turned into something we can no longer be proud of in our community. I was there when Gordon was something we could all be proud of and recommend to others. Now I am sad to say that Gordon has turned into a place of thugs and criminals. I would love to know the statistics on just how many students have criminal records and how many actually graduate. From what I see, they are probably there long enough to go into the probationary status until they are not allowed to return. How many disciplinary hearings does the school have to hold each week because of criminals attending the school? I hope the climate and the atmosphere surrounding the school will change if they up the standards to be accepted to the college. What we all have to wonder is will the school actually be willing to do that and risk the enrollment going down? We need to hold the administration of Gordon accountable when it comes to how they have allowed it to change our environment. I can tell you, I do not want my grandchildren to go there as it is right now. In fact, I do not like to be anywhere near the college at all. This is very sad for me to say!

I think it will be different in the Fall. New imposed requirements with the changes of HOPE will eliminate a large majority of students. No remedial courses paid for, cannot stay in dorms if taking more than 1 remedial course. Must meet SAT scores (although they are set to low). Will see how it affects the college next fall.

I'm sure Gordon knows exactly how many students have a criminal record...look how many have been arrested in town. The problem is the money is more important than the quality of the student. They could weed out most of the trouble makers if they were willing.

How is making it a smoke free campus going to improve the quality of students....that's almost funny. Maybe the wanna be gangsters will be more careful when they light up a joint.

I would also like to point out that the walking track at Gordon harbors a lot of pot smokers. I use to love going over there and walking, but now it is too dangerous. Thugs are smoking weed and probably dealing. The Gordon police need a bigger presence!!!

I can't believe the dress code that they have. It is a distraction for the boys to see the girls dress like they are street corner hookers. Gordon needs to implement a stricter dress code. I have seen girls with booty shorts and halter tops walking the campus during the day when school is in session. Dress with some respect and show that you have some dignity and pride.

You are even a little more stupid. He hasn't shown his birth certificate. He produced a "Certificate of Live Birth". You can obtain a cerfiticate of live birth for a dead person and it will reflect "deceased"..

Gordon needs a dress code? Are you crazy, we pay to be in college. We have every right to dress in any manor that we'd like. I'm a classy honor student and i'm in no way trying to defend those who dress less classy but that is their right to look how they want. And Gordon does not look like a rap video, that is a racist comment. Many of us fine students at Gordon love it, despite the crap people talk about my school I am happy to be going there. This economy sucks, Gordon is not a loser school, it is economic genious to start at a smaller school. The price of everything is insane. The professors are great and far more than qualified. Sure there are some bad seeds, but there are those in universities too but blame the high schools, not Gordon. High school is supposed to weed out societies unfortunate souls who do not give a darn about school or work or having a future. Schools like lamar county, especially DO NOT do that. They pass everyone, with their underqualified staff, they want to just get rid of all the bad kids, rather than to help shape them for future life. Welcome to the result of that. So stop blaming Gordon. College is optional and no one is forcing anyone to attend Gordon. If you wanna be judgmental, don't attend our school but we love it here. Besides the small boring town its in, the school is a pretty nice place. Instead of talking bad about one of the states fastest growing colleges, Why don't you repair the high school and all the uneducated so called 'educators' it has. I knew nothing when i graduated from lamar with HONORS and now I am at gordon re-learning everything i never learned cause lamar county high was a joke. That is why so many bad kids are out there, they come from schools like that. I choose to be a gordon, i dont have to be with my GPA but i like it. It is convinient.

gratuating "with honors" from lamar high school or any other high school in ga means nothing!the teachers fudge the grades so the "less fortunate" can go to college.and all they end up doing is disrupting everybody else trying hard to get and education.

and yes gordon DOES look like they are filming a rap video every day.!!!!!

Well what do you expect when one goes to a dumb school? Nothing but weed smokers/dealers, thugs, and thirsty hoes. EVERYONE FALLS INTO ONE OF THE THREE CATEGORIES. Trust me. This school is bound to end up shutting down pretty soon. People have a better chance of attending high school twice rather than being successful at Gordon College.

Wow you are just a small town ignorant you know whatever else.
I'm a 3.9 GPA english major who will someday run for office. You are nothing but a small town racist, disrespectful person talking to me like that. I've never set foot in a walmart in my life. I work my butt off at a job and pay for my own clothes(from the mall) and my brand new car. I am the definition of classy but someone like you would not get that. So you can shut up. You put a period after talk idiot, go back to pre-K. I'm done with these ignorant small town people who have race issues. I'm not black but many of my friends are. I do not see race and i stand up for everyone who has a head on their shoulders and clearly you do not. Clearly you work for lamar, otherwise no one 'classy' would defend that garbage dump of a school where they hire any crap of the crop to teach and everyone knows their rep. Everyone who has graduated from there complains, unless they're not in college and defend the school in which case they are prob 'qualified' to go teach there.

You are right this is just a small ignorant town. You would think that while they are so busy concentrating on Gordon, the town would do something about there poorly ran school system. They are ranked at the bottom of the list and still has not made AYP so I guess ignorance runs through the generations and to tell the truth if it wasnt for Gordon College Barnesville wont dont exist Barnesville has no revenue! NO kind of jobs!So go ahead and run Gordon College off Barnesville will be a ghost town!

I was once a Gordon Student and I know attend a HBCU. I personally think that Gordon does need a dress code but one thats is similar to Morehouse College(if not fimilar with it look it up). Gordon does need to tighten up on acceptance and ACT and SAT scores need to be taken in consideration. But we must rememeber that not all students are good test takers and maybe a in person interview (which is what medical schools and is what my HBCU does) should be conducted to insure that students are serious about not wasting tax payers money arent allowed to attend. What I dont apperciate is the negative responses from Lamar Co Citzens. Do you not realize that this town would be dead finacially without Gordon! PICK AND CHOOSE YOU BATTLES PEOPLE!!!!

"Why don't you repair the high school and all the uneducated so called 'educators' it has. I knew nothing when i graduated from lamar with HONORS and now I am at gordon re-learning everything i never learned cause lamar county high was a joke."

The State Board of Regents is the blame for the mess we now have at Gordon. Just like, "No Child Left Behind" has ruined public education in our country, The State B.O.R's insistance that coleege is for everyone has hampered Gordon's ability to provide a safe environment for learning. College is not for everyone, only those that can demonstrate a certain level of ability to do college level work. Blame the lack of this ability on whom or whatever, it really is not the point, it is the point that to attend college, prospective students must have some academic ability and not just be looking for a place to live in nice government paid for housing!

Do you really pay to be at college or did you qualify for the HOPE scholarship? If you pay, then you're probably not an honors graduate. If you receive HOPE, you don't pay for college. Rather, you receive assistance from the citizens of Georgia to attend school.

If you are in fact an English major, please use the language correctly. I would understand a few errors since this blog doesn't have spell check or the grammar functions of a word processor, but you consistently do not capitalize proper nouns or the pronoun I.

Since you would like to point out errors, let us take a look at the closing statement from your original post.

" I choose to be a gordon, i dont have to be with my GPA but i like it. It is convinient."

1) How can someone be a gordon? What is a gordon? How did you become one?

2) I Google searched the word "convinient" and the first result was from Urban Dictionary. It was used in the definition of cryastal meth. Perhaps I should not draw conclusions from this.

3) There are many grammatical errors with this sentence. There are a few captitalization issues, spelling issues, punctuation issues (don't), and a run on sentence.

I would also like to respond to your comments about the local high school. There are many highly educated, qualified professionals that teach at Lamar County High School. Some teachers are better than others, I'll agree to that. However, each one of these professionals has at minimum a bachelor's degree. They have also been hired by the administration and approved by the local school board. I would take the opinions of these adults over a disgruntled former student any day. By the way, I have three college degrees, a teaching certificate, and have been inducted to many national honors societies for my studies. If you want to compare our levels of education, please go ahead.

Finally, I agree that Gordon is a good school. I graduated from there. The dynamics of the school have changed since I attended. The school is going through some growing pains. It will get better, just ride it out.

First of all, what you and I are writing on is a comment board (or message board if you like) of a newspaper's website, not a blog. If you would use your excellent Google skills, you will see that there is a distinct difference.

Secondly, you made a huge deal about how brilliant you are, with your umpteen degrees and teaching certificate. Then you included the phrase "cryastal meth" in your comment. Is this a new form of the phrase they only teach those with more than one degree? Maybe you should refer back to the anecdote about people in glass houses that I'm sure you learned about in your academic quest for superiority.

By the way, having a college degree does not make you a better person than anyone else, nor does it make your opinion any more valid.

The stabbing did not take place outside the bistro it was inside and it put my life in danger to have to work in an environment where you don't feel safe cause no one came when the call was made to public safety they arrived after the stabbing when the two guys ran off! This has to be stopped cause working at the bistro at night u fear for ur life cause its not protected properly! Then on top of that they write it up in the paper like everything was cool and it was not! Write the truth so everyone will know how it is!

Here we have a beautiful example of futility. The people that are in the community that are commenting with "Gordon is a danger to this city." seem to lack the understanding that Gordon College is the entire reason for this towns existence. While the students that have replied thus far have either failed to demonstrate that the people on the other side of the argument are wrong in their asinine generalizations and assumptions , or they or are lacking proper logic by using bad points to argue on.

I myself am a member of the first generation of Gordon's Bachelors in Biology program. I'm not going to claim that I will have perfect grammar or spelling, as much as I try. I'm not going to claim that I'm the smartest guy on the block. I'm not going to tell you that I spend all my time studying or working a job because I don't. No, I myself have not payed a dime for my education yet.

What I will say is that I have experienced Gordon College. I have experienced that the professors are some of the best in their respective fields. I have experienced that, because of the lax acceptance standards at the time of my enrollment and prior, some of the students here are not the most desirable. I have experienced intense anger caused by both students and faculty members.

I have also experienced that the community at large has no interest in investing in Gordon College. Schools like UGA, Georgia Tech and the like are the way they are partly because the community around them has invested in them. Barnesville on the other hand seems to want to sequester itself from the college because of a few bad generalizations.

The school is going to continue to grow. It will continue to improve. Standards will get higher and students will be better. Within the next few years It will no longer be Gordon College, but Gordon University.

I am a current student at Gordon College. I will finish my Early Childhood Education degree this summer and plan to attend Georgia State University in the Fall. Gordon College is a unique institution within which to achieve higher learning. The class sizes are quite small for a college, most of the faculty here have their doctorates, and the cost of attending Gordon College is highly attractive in this harsh economic environment.

I will say that Gordon College provides an opportunity for many people of various ages to acquire a college education if they so desire and are willing to work diligently. As I approach the end of my time at Gordon, I remember the many friends I have made. Some who have graduated and joined the work force and some who have dropped out.

The friends of mine, of various races, who graduated utilized the numerous services and supports that the tax payers and excellent staff, faculty, and administrators provide on a consistent basis. Those who dropped out made a decision that what Gordon offered was not what they wanted for themselves.

Gordon College has a rich history. A history of triumph and failure that reflects the beauty and depravity of all that have ever attended here and all that live in this city of Barnesville. I choose to think critically of the failures within this college community. What have I done to create a more secure and beautiful future for this college and our city? A future free from fear, hatred, and violence is what we should all be working toward.

Sadly, I see a chasm between the community and this college. How can this be? This college, with all of its resources, both financial and intellectual, could be a huge benefit to Barnesville. I want us all to begin thinking of how we can have this college become a positive relevant part of the community.

The responsibility is on all of us: students, faculty, staff, administration, and members of the Barnesville community.

It's true.. Gordon is in fact full of thugs. It has really filled up with them this last year. As a person from the inside, the thugs don't really bother me because they aren't in any of my classes, (probably because they are asleep) but they do irritate me while I walk across campus between classes. They tend to clog the elevators with one-floor rides in the IC. They are also extremely loud like a bunch of animals. I think they should go back to metro Atlanta.

first i would like to make a late comment on what was said on "the boy who got stabbed was not ay thug! Talk wat yuh nuh!!"... the guy who got stabbed definitely claimed he was a "blood" which is a gang which would make him a "thug" so you talk what you know and you are dismissed. second on behalf of the suspect. he was with only three of his friends while the victim was with over ten trying to fight the suspect and his friends. not only did one of the victims friends have a bookbag claiming to have a gun but he also said he was going to kill the suspect with it. me as a witness would call the stabbing SELF DEFENSE since the "victim" snatched the bistro door open and started swinging at the suspect right before he threw a trash can top at the suspect. call it what you want, honestly i could give a dam BUT before you make comments rather it be a student, worker, or teacher... KNOW the situation at hand.

well yu would've lost a million dollars because he was expelled. how do i know because i know him and if you would've read the article you would have seen that it says FORMER! when you assume you make an ass out of you and me. nice way to blow a million dollars asshole

you could be right, but that is something you dont know for sure. you see what im noticing about most comments on here that are aimed at the suspect are opinions which do not matter when facts are involved. FACT: darryl virden was not there to cause trouble he was there to get the rest of his belongings and say bye to his friends since it was the last week everybody was going to be there. how do i know? because im one of them.

"FACT: darryl virden was not there to cause trouble he was there to get the rest of his belongings and say bye to his friends since it was the last week everybody was going to be there."

Get the rest of his stuff at 10pm??? Yeah right! I'd bet if he was kicked out of school for behavior issues he was told to not come back to the dorms or campus. If he did have stuff to get, I'd also bet he was supposed to be escorted by Gordon police or housing staff. And, it was not the last week students going to Gordon for an education were going to be there - finals are next week!

No actually the fact is that Gordon separates itself from the community.
The dorm students are required to pay for a meal plan which keeps them from coming in to the community to eat at the local restaurants.
Most of us here in town were unaware that Gordon had a Crystal restaurant on campus.
If you work in this community, and try to deal with Gordon staff to do any type of community work, you will be told they don't have the budget to spend.
And yet the flowers and foliage can be changed to fit the season.
I don't get it.

It goes both ways. The community needs to work with the school and the school needs to get out and work with the school. The difference being the school tries. Don't get me wrong. I know the administration doesn't do to much but the student organizations, such as SAAB, do their best to work in the community, both of the school and of the town.

If they required a monthly drug test to qualify for government financial assistance, the disruptions would cut in half. I would not mind giving a sample of urine once a month in return for the taxpayers' money to fund my education.

Really would appreciate if everyone would stop stereotyping ! Fact: if you do not know anything about the situation its no need for you to comment on either the "suspect" behalf or the "victim". I admit Gordon College is not a paradise and everyone that go there are not saints but Gordon gives people the opportunity to make something out of themselves. Most of you commenting are all from Barnesville and probably think of yourselves as above all but you are not. Everyone is equal in the eyes of God. Barnesville is no place in paradise constant road blocks and shootings were happening down there before these students were even there. Look in the mirror and stop pointing the finger at anybody because you are not perfect.

Kick rocks because he is out and charges are being filed against to the boy who was stabbed it was caught on tape that he had the knife and the idiot stabbed his own self and lamar county and gordon college is being sued along with the boy stabbed can you DUH!!!Plus high coverage will take place in about two weeks on lamar county police.

bo bo you most certainly sound like a fool... not saying you are 1 but, u do sound like 1..virden will be released soon enough..& he was & still is the victim... lawsuit are pending beleive it!!! officer smartwebb is a dumb azz... hung-kung-fooie azz janitor... terrible police work.. gordan police dept. should b ashamed to have him on the force in a authoritive capacity...gimme a break he's a f-ing janitor..lol.. not a officer of peace by any strecth of the imagination...but gordan will still have major problems long as the so-called officer..(who by the way seems to be with the "gang") is still in charge of any thing but a mop...

Anybody can bring a lawsuit and I am sure the Gordon is shaken in their boots. Oh by the way I see you must be a friend of the so called victim by the way you try and call the officer names like a child. But quess what the police were not in the wrong your so called victim was. so get back to your weed and learn how to spell.

He is not a janitor, he is a dog catcher. Get it right. You can tell his fabulous police techniques by the way it took his three times how to tell the other cops how to get to him in the audio recording. Gordon PD should be proud.